Loudspeakers or “speakers” are used in a variety of settings and locations. Older speaker configurations were commonly “floor” speakers which were configured to set directly upon the floor. A variety of newer speaker designs are smaller and lighter and suitable for mounting to a wall, ceiling or other elevated support surface.
It is desirable to orient speakers in particular directions, such as to optimize sound projection. In the case of floor mounted speakers, the speakers can easily be turned to change the direction they project sound. It is similarly desirable to permit the orientation of a wall or similarly located or mounted speaker to be changed.
One common type of wall speaker mount is a “U” type bracket which mounts to the wall and connects to either side of a speaker. This bracket securely attaches the speaker to the wall, and permits rotation of the speaker. Unfortunately, this mounting only permits the speaker to be moved in one plane or direction—generally up or down about a horizontal axis through swivel pins connecting the mount to the speaker.
Other attempts have been made to wall mount a speaker in a manner permitting movement of the speaker in three-dimensions. These mounting arrangements generally employ a “swivel” type mount. These mounts generally have a number of undesirable drawbacks, however.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,578 discloses a ball-type mount for a speaker. This mount allows a greater range of movement of the speaker relative to the support surface than does the above-described bracket type mount. On the other hand, this mount has a very complex design. This design, including location of a variety of moving parts within the speaker enclosure itself, renders the design costly to manufacture and implement, and occupies a great deal of space within the speaker, which compromises the function of the speaker. The design of this mount limits its use with only specially designed speakers and no others.
Another issue is that the adjusting mechanism is dependent solely upon pressure applied by a clamp to a ball. In this configuration, the clamping force is applied through the speaker body itself, and the clamping force may be limited. Moreover, this clamp is the only means by which the speaker is connected to a wall, so that if the ball loosens from the clamp, the speaker can fall from the mount and be damaged or destroyed.